Super Crazy Easy Fast Ten-Minute One-Piece Envelope Pillow Covers

Today is all about making some super crazy easy fast ten-minute one-piece envelope pillow covers. Say that ten times quickly. Saying it would be harder then following this tutorial. If you can operate a pair of scissors, have access to a sewing machine, can iron a fold/hem, and can sew a semi-straight or even partly crooked line… then you can do this. It is that easy.

If you are a regular reader you may have realized that I have a little bit of a pillow obsession. Just a little bit. Anyhooo… I think that changing up your pillows is one of THE best ways to give your house a quick little refresh. Think of them as soft cushy art. And with the price of store-bought pillows hovering between $20-30 each or more, learning how to sew my own has quickly become a key skill and priority. Once you have mastered this simple task the world of fabrics opens up to you and the possibilities become endless. So let’s get started… because you can literally go from 1.25 yards of fabric to three new 18″ pillows in 30 minutes.

I am going to make envelope pillow covers tomorrow so checked out your easy DIY page – who even needed to read it, your pix are perfect! (And the fabric I am going to use is the same blue you show at the end of the instruction page!

Really great tutorial. I’ve only done a tiny bit of sewing and this was really easy! I couldn’t find any cushions to match my couch but I found a fabric that did. Stuffed them with some cheap IKEA cushions and they’re perfect!

Krista, I am not the best at sewing so I was very hesitant to do this project. Once I started, I left the computer open so I could continue to refer to your instructions. The pictures helped me soooooo much. I am redoing my kindergarden classroom. This has really helped my room pop. I made four of the coverings for my reading area. I am so proud of myself as the pillows look great! I did make a few errors (they are on the back so I am not as worried) but I am hoping that practice makes perfect.:-) Thank you so very very much Krista! How kind and generous of you to share this with the rest of us. 🙂 Dianne

We are selling our house and I need to stage the rooms. Painted everything neutral and it’s so boring. I went to Ikea a bought $4.00 pillows and then fabric and made these covers. They were so so easy and now all the rooms will just POP with color. Thank you so much for sharing this easy tutorial! Can’t wait to make some more for my new house!

That is great to hear Donna! I am so glad you found the tutorial easy and that your pillows turned out well. I know how much I love changing up the look of our rooms with some new pillow covers, and even though I know it is easy to do, I am always surprised by how quick it really is:) Good luck with selling your house!

I found your tutorial on pinterest. I also have a phobia about my sewing machine but this was extremely easy. I made four pillow covers last night and they look great covering my old couch pillows. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Erica- I used to be terrified of my machine too. You know the scariest part for me? Having to rethread and feed the bobbin. But now that I have gotten comfortable with it (even though it still gives me a little trouble every now and then) – I am thrilled to be able to whip up cushion covers so quickly and easily.

I have an obsession as well and funny thing so does my dog, yes my dog. She always lays on a pillow on the couch or in her crate. I just made 4 small ones, a square one for the computer chair as well as 2 bed sized ones, all for the couch and dog. So, needless to say, they go in the wash frequently. It’s fun to have a lot of coordinating ones on a plain brown leather couch. They are so quick and easy to make! Thanks

Hi Nancy- it is fun to have so many… I love to switch mine out for the seasons. Our dog would love them too but we do try to keep her off the couch since she is black, sheds like a monster, and weighs about 80 pounds! Thanks for your visit and comments!!

Hi Erin! I just stuffed them in as-is because I wasn’t convinced that there was a lining inside that fabric and thought I may open them up to find a bag of pillow stuffing… but that only worked because my fabric was thick enough to hide any color or pattern underneath it. I hope that makes sense!! Good luck with your project- I need to make myself some more soon too:)

HI, I was making this pillow and ran into the same problem as Kathy who commented earlier. I think maybe you meant that you hemmed the shorter 18″ lengths? Then folded it into the square shape and hemmed together the outer edges (which were the 42 length). Because if you hem the long sides, then the short parts that make the opening are still rough.

Hi Nicole! I went back and reread the post – I could see how people would read it that way. What I meant by the ‘long’ ends was the ends of the LENGTH (so the ends of the 42″ length) but that wasn’t super clear. Sorry! So I edited it -hopefully it will make more sense now. Thanks for pointing that out:) Good luck with your project!

Thanks Kate- hope it works out really well for you!! I love the one piece pillows more then my two piece ones- so much quicker. Actually, I need to make some more here pretty quick for our winter living room:) So thrilled you came by!!

I read your blog this morning and made 4 cushion covers by dinner time. 2 for me and 2 for a friend for Xmas. This is also the first time I’ve used my new sewing machine that has been sat in its box for a year. Super super easy!

I love this. Thank you so much for sharing! The only thing I need is to find the actual pillows to put the covers on. Do you have a good recommendation of where to get a good one that isn’t too expensive?

Hi Erin! My favourite pillow form source is IKEA – they have awesome poufy feather down inserts for around 6-7$ (Canadian – it is probably even less expensive in the US). But I know that there isn’t always an Ikea readily available to people… I have also bought forms from Jysk but find that they aren’t as full as I would like and the forms that I have bought at Walmart are polyester fill and I don’t like them as much. If you don’t have an Ikea nearby then perhaps try a local fabric store like Joann’s or Fabricland. Or look pillows on clearance at big box stores and don’t worry if you can’t stand the cover- you can always recover them if the form itself is nice and full. Good luck!!

Hi Eva! I think that the best rule of thumb is to measure your pillow cover to see what size it will be when squished fairly full. You don’t want your pillow covers too big or they will look sloppy- you want them to fit your forms quite snugly.

I recently picked up some new pillow inserts at Ikea (they are my favourite) and I think they were called 20×20 on the tag – I squished them and measured and I made covers with a finished size of about 18×18, or 18×19″. I did this because I wanted to sneak two covers out of my one yard of fabric so I cut my fabric to be 18″ (so, half of my yard) by the full width of the fabric (54″). I then cut my 54″ piece down to 46″ – that is double the pillow (18+18+10″). The extra 10″ gives you lots of room to do a nice seamed edge on the each end of your 46″ piece. Does that make sense?? Let me know if you have any more questions!!

Hi Krista, I am going to try making pillows this weekend. My daughters and I bought fabric last summer and I have not been able to get started, since I don’t really sew, but this tutorial looks so easy! One question- the tutorial says you ironed and hemmed the 42″ lengths, but in the picture it looks like the short ends that form the opening. Can you clarify, so I don’t procrastinate even longer? Thanks.

Hi Kathy!
I am slightly confused by the question so I am just going to go ahead and explain what I do using an 18″ pillow as an example. Measure your pillow (so 18″ for a down pillow insert or 18.5″ for a really full and stiff pillow insert – I use down inserts which are squishy so I make my pillow covers slightly smaller then the measurements of the pillow so that my fabric isn’t baggy). So cut your fabric to the correct width (18 or 18.5″) and then double the width and add six -so an 18X18 would mean that you cut a piece 18 by 42 (18+18+6 for overlap). Then I hem the edges of the 42″ length (so really it becomes about 41.5 or 41 after each end has been hemmed. Then I fold the strip of fabric in on itself and measure to make an 18″ square with it overlapping – measure it and make sure that you are putting the RIGHT SIDES (or the printed side of the fabric) together facing IN. Then pin and sew along each edge (about 1/4 inch seam). For a down form I will end up with a cover that is about 17.5 inches by 18″ and it fits the form nicely. Does this make sense? I hope so- let me know if it doesn’t!! Good luck, once you figure it out you will wonder what you were procrastinating it for. That’s how I felt once I got my groove going… now I can’t stop making new pillows covers:)

Hi Krista! Just popping back over to let you know that your fantastic pillow covers are one of my picks and will be feature tomorrow night at Best of the Weekend! Hope you can party with us tomorrow and thanks so much again for joining us. Have a happy Friday! 🙂

These look sooo cute! I have a ton of old throw pillows that belonged to my grandma just been looking for the right tutorial to try covering them with and this one is definitely it! Thanks so much for Sharing! Definitely pinning♥

Hello Krista! You are fabulously talented – what a wonderful gift! I am so ecstatic to find your blog. I was hoping you could kindly share the fabric on the blue pillow pictured with your new faux bois print. I’ve seen it in Better Homes & Gardens and other décor but I’ve not been able to find the name of it. Thank you so much! I live on a lake also but in Southern N.J.

Hi Barbara! They are quilting tools that I got from my mother but you can buy them in a lot of fabric or craft stores (maybe even walmart). I find them super useful crafting tools and great for little sewing projects as well! Not just for quilting…

Brilliant!!! I just started making my own pillows and i’ve also just started sewing. Loving it!! This tip is such a I am all for easy and quick. Thanks for sharing! I came across your spot on A Stroll Through Life. I’m # 144.

Krista- I wanted to thank you for the sweet comments you left about my chicken coop turned coffee table. Your words meant a lot to me coming form someone who is so well revered in blogland. Thank you again.

On a different note, I love these pillows. Envelope pillows are so easy and fun to make. Have them everywhere. I used to make the permanent kind of covers but then had children! Envelopes make it so much easier to keep clean!

🙂 Krista, I love pillows too but like you said they can be expensive and I really need to do what you do to decorate my very boring living room! 🙂 I really love the pillows you us and your last picture is gorgeous: you style everything very well! 🙂 & how many pillows are too many hmmmm…. maybe a 1000 anything under that it’s OK! 😉 wish you a beautiful week Krista 🙂

Lol Ingrid! Pillows will probably give your living room a quick and easy (and inexpensive if you make your own) wakeup call- you should make some, you will love it! Thanks for your kind awesome comments. Hope your week is awesome as well!!

Hi Jamie! I put a link to the fabric in the post – it is called Willow by Premier Prints and comes in a few different colours. I love it too, have to get some more for my fall pillows I think, maybe in a different colour:) You can check out fabric.com or tonicliving.com for it….

Hi Rebecca! Isn’t the faux bois pattern the best! It is called Willow by Premier Prints and comes in several colorways. I put a link to it in the post as well. I will check out your link party, thank you for the invite!!

Krista, that pillow looks fantastic – ok, I need to actually try to sew something and I think I can do this! Thanks for sharing – pinned! Would love you to share these at our Best of Weekend party this Friday, it would be wonderful to have you join us! Happy Monday!

My mother passed the pillow/cushion-obsession gene on to me – I am grateful for that gene!!! It makes decorating so much fun! If I want to change my colour scheme for different seasons (or just because after one week I want to swap with another colour!), I always have a change of cushion/candle/canvas – all matching colours – (I paint cheap canvasses myself to match my cushions), and sometimes a matching fake flower-stick thingy (you get my meaning)!

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